Ever Thought Of Being Grateful For Your Tastebuds?

Odd title for a blog post huh? I can't believe it's been so long since I wrote anything on the blog too. But here I am.

So where'd the idea for this blog come from? Well eating of course. My Mama is a fabulous cook. We joke with her that we could all be scarfing down something she made loving it all, but she will often find something not quite right about it. She is her own worst critic as far a food goes. It needs to be just right or she's not satisfied. Better for us because that means good just gets better. Many of my favorite foods are my Mama's cooking. She makes the best dressing in the universe. Her red velvet cake is just yummy. I could go on and on. Are you hungry yet :-)?

Well when cancer unwelcomely enters your life so typically does chemotherapy. With most chemotherapy a change in your taste buds occurs. It can be severe change or milder changes. Some days the thought of eating just does not compute, but you have to in order to stay strong. With my first chemotherapy medications the change was more severe. For one thing during and up to five days after I could not have anything cold or even touch anything cold without it feeling as if a thousand needles were sticking into you. Imagine a hot Alabama summer and you cannot have anything really cold or ice. It also impacted the way things tasted. Most days only certain things tasted normal. Those were fruits, vegetables, and usually cereal. Even water tasted like metal. The good thing is there were some things that tasted okay. I may have shared with you how on my first week or so of treatment the nutritionist came by. Her advice was nothing diet or low in fat, eat real butter, make milk shakes and just make yourself eat. Keeping up your strength and not dropping weight is really important particularly early in treatment. It was and still is funny to think of a nutritionist actually telling you to make milk shakes but she did.

With my new treatment medication I have no limits on ice cold things that I can have. Even ice cream is okay and it tastes pretty good though I limit it usually to days I don't feel like eating very much. I have several days particularly during and right after treatment when things do not taste good at all. That is except fruits and veggies. So my sweet Mama who has graciously taken on the job of keeping me fed (you don't want to cook for yourself when nothing looks or tastes good) always has some veggies and fruit on hand. Sometimes it is really tough like when Mama makes poppy seed chicken and it doesn't taste good. Knowing what it's supposed to taste like just makes me want it but then it doesn't taste right. I know that for everyone else eating it tastes great but for me often it doesn't. I couldn't enjoy my brother's Memorial Day BBQ because things tasted like metal.

So that led me to think about how grateful I would be if food all tasted normal again. How I long to have regular taste buds that enjoy what I eat no matter what it is. However, that is not the case so you do what you have to do. Oddly some things will taste fine and other things taste nothing like they are supposed to. Have you ever considered being thankful for your taste buds? I hope you take time at your next meal to truly stop and enjoy what you are eating in all its glorious taste but also to be thankful that you can taste it. Be thankful it tastes like it is supposed to. Just one more thing I've learned to be grateful for during all this.

The Power of Friends

Me on the Beach!

The past week I was given a great gift, a trip to the beach. Though I had to be covered up and under umbrellas it was wonderful in so many ways on so many levels. The gift was given to me by a precious friend since about fifth grade Jenny Wingard. She took good care of me. We laughed a lot and stayed up talking late into the night each night. Thankfully I had great energy and didn't need a nap each day as I typically do. I did however snooze on the beach a little bit the last day we were there. It was nice to not feel so tired and gave me a renewed drive to be a bit more active now that I'm home. Of course within reason and not during chemo. Being at the beach with Jenny which we try to do at least once a year made me feel more normal than I have since my surgery. It was just a trip like we always take with a few adjustments given my diagnosis. It was a great get away and just what I needed.

It did cause me to think about how precious friends are and how much they add to our lives. I have been blessed with great friends many of which I've had since elementary school or high school. Not many people can say that. Throughout this illness I have developed new friends and closer relationships with old friends. My parents friends have also been right there for them and for me. I've learned a lot about what friendship really means by the humbling outpouring of love and generosity of my friends during this difficult battle. Sometimes I am completely blown away with how thoughtful people are and how just when I need it a card comes in the mail or an email pops into my inbox. I'm looking at beautiful daisies sent to me that have lasted for two weeks. I have over 300 cards in my "happy box" and on tough days I pull them out and read them and just feel my heart swell as I realize how many people have taken the time to send them. The prayers going up by so many sustain me in ways I do not even have words to explain.

So often when people are going through a difficult time we can be confused about what to do or how to help. I love that many folks have just done without asking. We've had meals and snacks for the cancer center and yesterday I came home to find that my sweet neighbors had cut my grass. Sometimes all people need is someone to be there. No fancy words, no big gestures just being there means so much. It's hard when people aren't there for you. Especially those you thought would be. Often that happens not because people do not want to be there for someone but they just do not know what to do or say. Let me help with this. IT DOESN'T MATTER! Friends just need you there in their corner. No special words, no special gifts, no specific plan just being there makes all the difference. I am incredibly thankful for all those people who are there for me every single day. So make it a point sometime this week to reach out to at least one friend. They don't even have to be going through something tough like cancer.

My best friend Jenny and I at the beach

It just means a lot to have someone there cheering you on even if you aren't facing any specific battle. You may never know how much it means but your friend will!

Sharon's Snack Ministy

I have created a snack ministry at the Cancer Center and I LOVE it. This started back when my brother Gary and I realized the snacks were all donated. For more information see the snack ministry page of the blog. What people do not realize is the Cancer Center actually looses money on a regular basis because generally they turn no one away seeking treatment. So that means some folks who ultimately have no ability to pay. So buying snacks for patients isn't really something in the funding but the volunteers would purchase the snacks to give out to patients. Many just cannot afford to buy snacks in the vending machine.


So this is a thank you to all those donating snacks. It goes a long way in making a long day of treatment better. What is so incredibly funny is how excited most patients get picking through the snacks in the basket trying to find just what they want. Variety is important because sometimes you cannot eat certain things. For example, sweet things taste pretty bad to me right now but salty hits the spot. For some they can't do salty and want sweet. For some the protein in things like nuts and trail mix are important for their health. I just want you to realize what a wonderful thing it is to give the snacks. 


If you have not donated any I would encourage you to do so. They take any individually packed snack items but they cannot be home made. It will cost only a few dollars depending on what you get and where. It can be dropped off at the Cancer Center to the main building (not radiology building) where a volunteer will likely cheer for you and take the snacks to their storage area. If you can encourage others to give please do that as well. You never know how much a package of trail mix can do!

Reaching Out

This week was round 17 of chemo. Hard to believe in some ways. I do not know how many rounds I will have so I'm just ready to keep going as long as I need to. Overall I'm doing well, just tired. That will get better and better each day and about Wednesday or Thursday I will feel pretty good. Over this past week or so I decided that I am probably going to go "natural" with my hair from now on. I'm grateful for the wig provided FREE by the Cancer Society but its itchy. By the way if you know anyone battling this who needs a wig send them to the Cancer Society. They have a huge number of wigs and they provide them free of charge. Mine was given my Pantene and it is real hair. Wigs can cost a great deal but they have a large variety and will help you pick one out and you owe them nothing. Anyway, my real hair is thin and its darker and more gray than before chemo started which is interesting. It is obvious there's a lot less hair on my head now, but that's the way it is. I appreciate the wig and will wear it occasionally but it is more comfortable not to wear it so that's what I'll do from now on.

I have to tell you the wigs name is Dorothy. I debated between Cousin It but that wasn't very respectful and then it dawned on me that the wig is sort of like Dorothy Hamil's hair style so her name is Dorothy. She has been great and has helped me in the transition to my new hair normal. But it is what it is so I'm just going to embrace it. So when you see me you'll see the new hair do, shorter than ever in my life and a lot less but it's just hair.